Flora man pleads guilty to murder of older disabled man

A Flora man pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of an elderly disabled man in February of last year.

District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced Tuesday, Oct. 27 that Frederick Douglas Edwards Jr., 20, of Flora was found guilty of second-degree murder after a two-day jury trial held before Circuit Court Judge Dewey Arthur.

Bramlett said that on Feb. 24, 2019, the Flora Police Department was dispatched to 457 Railroad Avenue located in Flora to the scene of a reported knife attack. There they found Jimmie Forbes, 63, who was disabled and wheelchair-bound.

Forbes told police that a man named “Freddy” had come to his home demanding to borrow his truck and, when Forbes refused, he attacked Forbes with a knife. He stabbed Forbes multiple times in the chest and stomach region. Forbes later succumbed to his injuries, passing away on March 2, 2019.

“This was a violent attack on an elderly, disabled man. We are thankful to the Flora Police Department for such a thorough investigation as well as the jurors of Madison County who showed up for jury duty and ultimately served on this trial so that Mr. Forbes could receive justice,” Bramlett said.

Bramlett said that during the trial, Edwards told the jury that he had smoked marijuana. He claimed that the joint must have been laced with something causing him to act out as he did. 

Medical experts determined he was competent to stand trial, and the jury found him responsible for his actions, Bramlett said.

“The law in Mississippi does not allow you to escape conviction because you voluntarily became intoxicated and had an adverse reaction that you were not expecting,” Bramlett said. 

“This is true even if you did not know the intoxicating substance was laced with another intoxicating substance. You are still responsible for your actions when you decide to engage in the use of illegal drugs.”

Edwards is set to be sentenced on Jan. 4, 2021.